Some conventional spatial determination systems employ laser scanning, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems. One drawback of these conventional systems, and laser scanning in general, is the inherent cost of system components due to the high precision nature of the technology. By way of example, conventional laser systems typically produce vast amounts of data requiring high levels of processing capability. In order to process and utilize the amounts of data generated by laser scanning, commercial systems require specific system components, such as laser processing chip-sets. As a result, there is an increased cost to customers and manufacturers alike.
In addition to cost, there are other drawbacks of laser scanning systems. For one, conventional laser scanning systems may be highly susceptible to error when in motion. Additional drawbacks may be due to the operational frequency of beams employed in a scanning system. For example, detection of distance based on time of flight delay may be difficult to determine for short-range distances due to time-of-flight ranging error. Similarly, it may be difficult to calculate the time of flight delay for a laser system due to the high speed of the optical beam, especially for short-range measurements. Another drawback of laser systems is difficulty in tracking objects. Laser based measurements may be difficult to process due to difficulties in comparing measurement points determined by conventional laser systems. Thus, what is desired is an improved ability of scanning devices which overcomes one or more drawbacks of laser scanning systems.
Conventional radar applications such as Doppler Radar (e.g., Pulsed-Doppler Radar) have long been used for radar scanning and detection of aircraft. Conventional radar applications are not suitable for detection of multiple data points for mapping or tracking of objects due to low resolution scans. As a result, conventional radar scanning applications have not been employed for mapping or tracking of multiple objects with high resolution.
The University of Melbourne has developed a Radar on a Chip (ROACH) system, which is hereby incorporated by reference, that allows for advanced driving assistance. In particular, the ROACH system is for advanced driving assistance to reduce risk and impact of accidents and collisions.
There exists a need in the art for methods and devices to provide radar scanning, and in particular for data point detection and spatial modeling with radar sensing.